System and method for providing information matching a user&#39;s stated preferences

ABSTRACT

A location-based and preference-based system and method for matching media content about persons, places and things with the expressed preferences of mobile users to notify users about and provide users with access to media content about persons, places and things that match the user&#39;s expressed preferences. The system thus provides information such as stories or articles that match the user&#39;s interests and relate to their location. The system may assign ranks to all of the media content that meets that user&#39;s preferences wherein, in one embodiment, it will automatically play them in the assigned order. Comparison of the user&#39;s preferences with the various profiles of the media content allows the user only to be informed of the media content for those persons, places or things that the user is likely to be interested in. The system and method thus provides for a mobile real-time point of interest exchange network.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.13/040,571, filed Mar. 4, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/401,347, filed Mar. 10, 2009, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/372,307, filed Mar.9, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,589,628, which is a continuation in partapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/609,961 filed Jun.27, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,071,842, which claims priority based uponU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/391,982 filed Jun. 27,2002, the entireties of which are all hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of communicationssystems and, in particular, to a system and method for providinglocalized resource information to mobile customers based on theirexplicit preferences that match profiles of media content about people,places and things.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A global positioning system of satellites (“GPS”) enables the trackingof objects on the surface of the earth through the use of satellites andreceivers. In particular, the orbiting satellites of the GPS system eachcontain transmitters that send out radio frequency signals. GPS uses apseudo-random data stream encoded on each satellite's carrier frequency.The receiver is synchronized with the data stream by matching anidentical pseudo-random data stream with the data stream received fromthe satellite to give the distance to that satellite at the speed oflight that the radio signal traveled. The receiver then triangulates itsposition using three or more satellites and by knowing where thesatellites are by way of their particular data.

Stated another way, a GPS receiver receives tracking information fromvarious GPS satellites via a GPS antenna. That information istransmitted in digital form from the receiver to a microprocessor thatthen makes the foregoing calculations. The information includeslongitude, latitude, heading, velocity, time and elevation. The data canbe processed and formatted as a data packet and immediately displayed,transmitted or stored in EEPROM until requested. Such GPS location-basedinformation has enabled persons or vehicles equipped with GPS devices tobe located, to locate their own positions, and/or to locate the bestnavigational paths to their destination with a great deal of accuracy.

Moreover, pursuant to recent federal emergency 911 legislation, cellularservice providers must employ technology capable of locating thecellular phone within a certain distance range. This legislation wastriggered by the fact that oftentimes when 911 calls were placed from acellular phone moving away from the site of an emergency, by the timethat the position of the caller was estimated using the then currenttechnology, and by the time that the emergency vehicles were dispatchedin response thereto, the caller may have traveled a significant distancefrom the site of the emergency. Hence, valuable time was often lost bythe emergency vehicles in attempting to locate the parties in need ofassistance. The ubiquitous nature of such technology enabling thedetermination of the accurate geographic location of a mobile user hasmade it feasible to provide location-based information to the mobileuser while the user is literally in transit.

While other systems have attempted to use such GPS position informationto provide location-based information, such as advertisements or couponsfor local businesses, one shortcoming with the current systems is thatthey provide information or offers that are only of a general interest.Accordingly, they often target a large number of people with the hopesthat a certain percentage of the recipients will favorably respond, asopposed to serving the particular, more exacting preferences of aspecific recipient. An example of such general public messages is abroadcast message, or a wireless E-mail message or a cellular call toanyone within a certain geographical radius of a fast-food merchant thatoffers a reduced price offer for a limited time. Such general interest,location-based messages run the significant risk of annoying a recipientthat is not interested in the messages or offers. As a result, themessage may either be ignored by the recipient or serve to create anegative opinion about the merchant with respect to future purchasingdecisions. Use of such general messages may also serve to create anegative opinion about the service provider as well. Likewise, otherlocation-based information providers such as Vindigo and Go2 functionmuch like mobile “Yellow Page” directories in response to specificrequests for particular types of business in a certain locality by thetraveler. However, such services are typically only provided on atraveler-initiated basis prompted by a specific request.

Other services like On-Star® provide location-based information inresponse to traveler-initiated requests related to roadside assistance,security or other such traveler support services. Other systems such asLojac® have monitored or tracked the movement of specific assets such asvehicles—and reported the location of the vehicle to the police or ownerwhen stolen. However, none of these location-based information providersare believed to specifically tailor such attribute-based andlocation-based information to the specific expressed profile orpreferences of the mobile traveler that will receive such information.

Other systems have sought to use purchasing interest profiles of theuser. For example, the system for providing navigational services of Leeet al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,177 contains user profile databases, billinginformation and a purchasing interest profile. Accordingly, informationin advertising databases can be compared against a user's purchasinginterest profile through an adaptive profiler, so that advertisementsinserted into personalized digital broadcasts mesh with that user's pastbuying history. Likewise, the prior system of Adaptive Personalizationprovided an adaptive recommendation engine that analyzed the informationthat individual users accessed on the mobile devices, Based on theaccessed information, the recommendation engine prioritized informationfor mobile applications provided to that user. A significant problemwith these systems is that they rely at most on an inferred orextrapolated preference of the user based on prior behavior or patternsof behavior, rather than explicitly asking the user for preferences.Accordingly, such systems do not address situations wherein thepreferences of the user change or where the user has not previously beeninterested in a particular service or good.

These systems also do not provide a system that is both location-basedand preference-based to provide information to a mobile user or consumerby matching the preferences of the person, place or thing (e.g., amerchant) and the user, so as to target a user based on a stated, ratherthan interpreted, preference. Furthermore, these systems do not allowthe merchant or other entity to reach users at a time and place whenthey are most likely to purchase its goods and/or services.

Additionally, because of the mobility of individuals today and thenumber of different businesses and entities that provides goods and/orservices, there is a need to obtain pertinent information in a timelyfashion to allow the user or consumer to be aware of the availableoptions in a local area that meet his or her preferences. Typically,individuals rely on word of mouth from friends or carry guidebooks for aparticular region. However, both of these options have problems. As forword of mouth, people have different tastes and opinions. Accordingly,there is no guarantee that an individual will like the same things ashis or her friends. Furthermore, by limiting the options to only one ortwo choices, the users are missing out on opportunities to try places,etc. that meet their specific preferences. Guidebooks, on the otherhand, provide information on more places; however, guidebooks must becarried around by individuals and do not describe all of the placeswithin a particular region. Additionally, guidebooks do not provideup-to-date information so there is no guarantee that the informationcontained in the guidebook is accurate. Guidebooks also do not providean easy way to determine which places are within a desired range fromthe user's current location.

Therefore, there is a need to produce and offer a dual-preferencematching system and method that provides a system that is bothlocation-based and preference-based to allow for a user to obtaininformation about those persons, places and things that match the user'spreferences and are within a prescribed range.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an improvement over conventional means forproviding information to users in that the system and method forproviding information, which is accessible by the user, based on alocation-based and preference-based system that matches the specificexpressed interests and preferences of a user with the profile of aperson, place or thing is unique and an improvement over the prior art.In particular, the present invention enables the user to enter andupdate its preference information for a wide variety of goods, servicesand interests to allow the user to be notified of only information onthose persons, places and things that expressly match up with the user'sstated preferences. When notified of the express matches, the user maythen obtain additional information regarding the expressed matches. Theinformation may be from a variety of sources such as books or web-basedcontent. A publisher or other entity may therefore supply or publish itsinformation for access by a user of the system.

In operation, a user will create a preference portfolio for varioustypes of persons, places and/or things preferably through the use of awireless device that has GPS capabilities. The preferences may includeadditional information such as: a distance range from the user, price,period of interest and the like. Persons, places and things may likewisecreate their own profiles on the system to list their goods, services,attractions and the like. Additionally, the information that is providedto the users may include information on a variety of events such as, butnot limited to, concerts, sporting events, special appearances,exhibitions, demonstrations and the like. The system of the presentinvention thereafter accesses and reads the profiles of the persons,places and things to compare the user's preferences on the wirelessdevice. If any of the persons, places or things match-up with theexpressed preferences of the user, then the user will be notified ofthose persons, places and things. The user may thereafter, ifinterested, request additional information about the person, placeand/or thing. Additional information may include, but is not limited todirections from the user's current location, photographs, menus, reviewsand/or information from guidebooks and other content providers.Additional information may be directed to places related to, among otherthings, travel, history, Americana, culture, outdoor and adventure,heritage, arts and leisure, and transportation.

Information provided to the user may also be in the form of mediacontent concerning people, places and things that match the user'sexpressed preferences and are within a prescribed geographic area. Inoperation, details of any matches may be provided to the user forselection. Alternatively, any matches may be prioritized based on afurther level of interest indicated by or determined about the user.Once ranked, the prioritized matching media content may be automaticallyplayed on the user's device.

The present invention is also directed to a process that transformsliterary works into digital works or publications and which embedslocation information into the works. A universal reader application maythen be used to dynamically and otherwise interact with the embeddedinformation routinely and/or automatically, thereby allowing, amongother things, a distance result to be displayed in any and all places inthe guide where the markup language has embedded geospatial coordinates.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved matching system and method that allows users to obtain noticeof and information about their expressed favorite or desired types ofpeople, places and/or things as they travel.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved matching system and method that uses the exact, statedpreferences of the users to allow information to be specificallytargeted to users who are the most interested in the information.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved system and method for providing information on people, placesand/or things that match a user's explicit preferences and are within aprescribed distance from the user.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved matching system and method that allows mobile users to use thesystem by way of multiple platforms.

It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a newand improved matching system and method that is capable of working withreal-time GPS location-based systems as well as pre-loaded mappingsoftware.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved matching system and method that is capable of using a varietyof communications media.

Still another object of the present invention is to deliver timely,in-depth information about people, places and things nearby that match auser's explicit preferences.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like reference numerals referto like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the inventionshowing a PDA connected to a GPS system, a content provider connected tothe Internet, and a server through the Internet for accessing a databaseof profiles and information.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a PDA of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is an example of a user preference profile for restaurants.

FIG. 4A is an example of a user preference profile including, amongother things, antique items that the user is interested in.

FIG. 4B is an example of a merchant profile listing the types ofproducts that the merchant offers for sale.

FIG. 5 is an example of a user real estate preference profile.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart diagram of the steps involved in matching thepreferences of a user with a merchant's profile for one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 7 is an example of one embodiment of screen display of a PDAshowing information of a merchant that matched the user's preferences.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart diagram of the technical steps involved inmatching the preferences of a user with a merchant's profile for oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart diagram of the steps involved in matching thepreferences of a user using a stand-alone remote device with amerchant's profile for one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart diagram of the steps involved in matching thepreferences of a user using a mobile device that does not have aconstant link or “pulse” to a network with a merchant's profile for oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a screenshot of information from a guide book available bycategories in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a screenshot of hotels within a certain distance from theuser in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a screenshot of narrative content from a guidebook inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a screenshot illustrating a photograph from a guidebook inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a pair of screenshots illustrating a map function forselected items in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a pair of screenshots illustrating a map function inaccordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 17a and 17b illustrate a pair of screenshots illustrating thedynamic updating of the relative location of the listed items.

FIG. 18 is a screenshot illustrating a map displaying the matches of theuser's preferences in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 19 illustrates four screen shots showing how information on placesmay be selected in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a screen shot illustrating a map displaying the name of alocation in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a screen shot showing data input fields for providing ageographic location in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a screen shot illustrating a list of possible places formatching in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a screen shot showing data fields for use in inputtingpreferences for historical places of particular time periods inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a screen shot of a map displaying the places that match theuser's preferences set in FIGS. 22 and 23 in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 25 is a screen shot illustrating a map of a particular geographiclocation in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a screen shot of a narrative inputted by the user inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a screen shot of a user's entry of a particular location inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a flow chart diagram of the steps involved in producingdigital works with embedded location information for one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 29 is a flow chart diagram of the steps involved in matching thepreferences of a user with media content profiles for one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 30 is a flow chart diagram of another embodiment of the stepsinvolved in matching the preferences of a user with media contentprofiles for one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail several specific embodiments, with the understanding that thepresent disclosure is to be considered merely an exemplification of theprinciples of the invention and the application is limited only to theappended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, there isshown a preferred embodiment of the hardware components needed for thepreference matching system of the present invention. The preferencematching system, generally designated by the number 10, is shown ashaving a mobile device such as personal digital assistant (“PDA”) 20, aremote server 23 containing or capable of accessing a database ofmerchant profiles 25; one or more content providers 30 capable ofsubmitting information over the Internet; and a GPS base station andantennae/satellite dish 24 for communicating with the GPS satellites(not shown). It is appreciated that the mobile device of the presentinvention may communicate and receive location-based information fromthe GPS satellites in any known way. It is also appreciated that thecontent providers may provide information for access by the PDA or othermobile device in any other known way and not depart from the scope ofthe present invention. For example, it is appreciated that theinformation may be inputted, exported or downloaded to the database 25or a separate database or computer. While the profiles 25 aregenerically described as merchant profiles, it is appreciated that theprofile may be for any entity that is interested in providinginformation to a user (e.g., a person, museum or other place). Examplesof such entities include, but are not limited to, merchants, operators,property owners, real estate brokers, managers, park district managers,individuals, and rangers. Additionally, the information that is providedto the users may include information on a variety of events such as, butnot limited to, concerts, sporting events, special appearances,exhibitions, demonstrations and the like.

Examples of a PDA are a Pocket PC® Microsoft Windows CE® operatingsystem based PDA, a Palm®, Handspring®, Sony®, other Palm® OperatingSystem based PDA, or other handheld devices capable of receiving digitalinformation such as the Linux® Operating System based Sharp® Zaurus.While a PDA is shown and disclosed, it is appreciated that the wirelessdevice may be any of the known wireless devices including, but notlimited to, a wireless-enabled notebook computer, a 2-way pager, acellular phone, or an integrated vehicular navigational device. The PDApreferably has a local database 21 stored in onboard RAM or ROM such asmemory cards so as to contain the preferences of the user and/or theprofiles of the merchants or other points of interest along a selectedroute or within a specified vicinity of the user. It is also appreciatedthat the user preferences may be stored on the server or elsewhere andnot depart from the scope of the present invention. The PDA alsopreferably has GPS capabilities so as to be capable of determining itsgeographic position by receiving and interpreting the signals of the GPSsatellites. It is appreciated that the PDA may contain or work incooperation with a GPS receiver component 22.

It is appreciated that the server 23 may be capable of being accessedwirelessly through a wireless connection (25); by non-wirelessconnection by way of conventional modem by the PDA via telephone lineand ISP to the Internet 26; or by a land-line connection to a computer27 with TCP/IP access to the Internet 26. A router 27A and firewall 28are preferably interposed between the Internet and the server forsecurity purposes. It is appreciated that other security measures anddevices may be used and not depart from the scope of the presentinvention. A server farm is preferably used for the proprietary socketserver (both clustered and redundant), as well as for web serving theapplication's user interface (both clustered and redundant).

While it is appreciated that a wide variety of software may be used, thepreferred software is: portable GPS receiving software such as NMEA 0183Protocol supported software; a profile matching application;Berkeley/Winsock socket server software for both the wireless device andthe non-wireless device embodiments; TCP/IP access software; COM/DCOM orJ2EE Compliant web server software; and an ANSI/ISO SQL databasemanagement system such as an SQL server 2000 or an Oracle® 9i databasemanagement system. The server farms for the socket server preferably runWindows® 2000 Advanced Server or better and Linux® or Solaris with J2EEweb application software.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the preferred hardware for a PDA for use in thepresent invention is shown. The PDA preferably includes: a control unitincluding a CPU 51; an input/output system (I/O system) 52A and 52Bcontrolled by the CPU 51; a location determination system such as a GPSreceiver 53 and associated software; on-board memory 54 for datastorage; a cellular receiver and transmitter 55; a wireless modem 56 orhardwired modem (not shown) for accessing the Internet; and a mapcollection reader 57 that can be in CD or DVD form or some othersuitable readable storage media. The I/O system of the PDA preferablyincludes an input device 52A and a display 52B such as an LCD screen tointerface between the user and the PDA. The input device 52A may be, butis not limited to, a touch pad, an on-screen keyboard, a touch screen, amouse, or a speech recognition device. The board memory 54 for storingthe personalized information of the user and/or the profiles of themerchants and points of interests may be, but is not limited to, EPROM,flash memory, disk drive, or other suitable recordable storage media.

If a wireless TCP/IP or similar connection is available for the PDA, thePDA can download the requisite user preference profile and/or person,place or thing (heretofore, generically referred to as a merchant)profile information in real time from the remote server. If a connectionis not available, then the requisite user profile and/or merchantprofile information can be preloaded or downloaded into the LocalDatabase or a separate database of the PDA at a time when such aconnection is available.

Merchant information may include, but is not limited to: the type ofbusiness or location; the price ranges of the products and/or servicesthat it provides; the hours of operation; the types of users it is mostinterested in reaching; its location; and a description of the productsand services provided. Additionally, it is appreciated that the merchantmay also include keywords that detail or describe specific products,services or features that the merchant offers. In the preferredembodiment, it is appreciated that the merchant may purchase suchkeywords from the system operator in order to enhance its listing.

The system and method of the present invention thereby allows users toindicate their preferences with respect to such information as, but notlimited to: the type of merchant, goods, services and the like they areinterested in. Additionally, the users may also include specificparameters to limit the amount of information received. Examples ofparameters that may be used include, but are not limited to, the timeperiods during which the users are interested in such merchant (e.g.,only on weekends or only at night); the price ranges that the users arewilling to spend; specific type of products, services, attractions orthe like that the merchant has to offer; and the maximum distance thatthe user is willing to travel. It is appreciated that users andmerchants may enter their preferences into the system in any known way,including but not limited to, using a series of hierarchical menus onthe internet, the PDA, or the like, that have a plurality of possiblepreference selections for a variety of topical categories. While it isappreciated that the geographic location of the merchant may becalculated in any number of ways, it is preferred that a mapping servicewill calculate the longitude and latitude of an address that is inputtedby the merchant.

Referring to FIG. 3, an example of a user preference profile for food isshown. It is appreciated that the example of the user profile shown anddisclosed is merely one example of the type of information that may beentered or contained in a user profile and that the present invention isnot limited to any one embodiment. As seen in FIG. 3, the user hasindicated that he likes Mexican food, but only on the weekends andplaces that are within 10 miles of his location. Additionally, the userhas indicated that he prefers restaurants where the entrees are not morethan $10-$12 each and where the restaurant offers chimichangas.Accordingly, the system and method will compare the preferences with themerchant profiles and only send messages to the user from merchants thatmeet those preferences. The system and method thereby provide for atargeted advertising system that permits, on one hand, merchants totarget those users who are the most likely to purchase their goodsand/or services and users, on the other hand, to only receiveinformation that is related to their interests or preferences. Byallowing the users to select or input specific items or details abouttheir preferences and interests, the present invention will allow theusers to be able to select places that are of the most interest to them.Additionally, the system will provide merchants who meet the usersstated preferences even if the user would not normally consider thatrestaurant (e.g., Bob's Diner may also offer chimichangas for $7.99).

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, an example of a user preference profileand a corresponding merchant profile are shown. FIG. 4A shows a userpreference profile for a user named Bill that lists a number ofactivities, interests and preferences that he is interested in.Particularly, the user has indicated that he is interested inhanggliding at any time within a twenty mile radius of his location;antique glass at any time within a five mile radius; golf between thehours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. and within a seven mile radius; German foodbetween 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. that is within a ten mile radius; and theoutdoor symphony at any time within a fifteen mile radius. The user hasalso indicated that he is interested in skiing and bowling, but hascurrently turned off those preferences so he will not get any offers ormessages related to those services. It is appreciated that the user mayrepeatedly modify the user's preference profile at any time.Accordingly, in the example shown in FIG. 4A, the user may turn off thepreference profile hanggliding in the winter and activate the preferenceprofile for skiing. Referring to FIG. 4B, a merchant profile for Alice'sAttic is shown. The proprietor of Alice's Attic has indicated that shesells antique dolls, antique porcelain, antique glass and antiquetapestry. Accordingly, if Bill passes within five miles of Alice'sAttic, the system will match up Bill's preference for antique glass withAlice's Attic's products and notify Bill that Alice's Attic sellsantique glass. Bill may then select the direction option to obtaindirections and follow the provided route to the store.

It is also appreciated that the present system may work with realestate. In particular, it is appreciated that homeowners, real estatebrokers and the like may list homes on the system, whereby when thelisted homes match the preferences of the user, the user will benotified of the home to allow it to drive by and look at. For example, auser may enter preferences related to the type and location of housesthat it is interested in. Referring to FIG. 5, an example of thepreferences of a user is shown. The user has indicated that it islooking for a house having at least three bedrooms, two baths, is pricedbetween $200,000 and $250,000 and is within 10 miles of a train station.As the user travels, it will accordingly be notified of any homes listedon the system that meet its preference criteria. Additionally, it isappreciated that the user may also interact with the system to determinethe average real estate prices for a particular type of housing orbuilding in the area in which the user is traveling.

Referring to FIG. 6, the preferred steps in matching the preferences ofa user with those of a merchant are shown. After the user and merchantenter their preferences and profiles in steps 100 and 102, the GPSreceiver 22 calculates the user's current position in step 104. Theremote server 23 is then queried as to the locations and characteristicsof the listed merchants and/or places of interest in step 106, while thelocal database 21 is queried with respect to the stated preferences ofthe user in steps 108. The software then compares the coordinates of thecurrent location of the user, the preferences of the user and theprofiles of the merchants to determine if there is a match in step 110.While various methods may be used, the “Great Circle” equation is oneexample of a method for determining the distance between the place andthe user, based on the distance between two points on a sphere. If themerchant matches the preference of the user in step 112, and themerchant is within the distance range selected by the user, then theuser is notified of the merchant in step 114. Otherwise the user mayelect to update its user preference profile in step 116, wherein theprocess would be repeating starting in step 100. Otherwise, the systemwill continue to monitor the user location in step 104 and continue thematching process.

Referring again to step 114, notification of the merchant may includeinformation pertaining to the merchant's business, products and/orservices, as well as directions to the merchant. If the user indicatedhe or she is interested in the merchant in step 118, the user mayrequest more information, if desired or necessary, in step 120, The usermay then elect to update its user preference profile in steps 122,wherein the process will be repeated starting in step 100. It isappreciated that the merchant profile may also be updated by themerchant at any time. Otherwise, the process restarts in step 104.

It is appreciated that the information requested in step 120 may be froma variety of content providers including publishers of guidebooks andother travel materials. Information that may be provided may include,but is not limited to, narratives about the particular merchant from apublisher or other user, reviews, photographs or hypertext links.Additionally, referring to FIGS. 22 through 24, it is appreciated thatthe system may also include information regarding persons, places andthings not normally covered by the guidebooks or other contentproviders. Examples of such information includes, but is not limited to,locations for particular stores, attractions, historical sites (whichmay be further categorized by, among other things, time period as shownin FIG. 23, or by relation to a particular event), public facilities(e.g., libraries, post offices, hospitals, churches, and/or ATMS) andnatural features (e.g., lakes, summits, beaches and/or trails). Forexample, in a preferred embodiment, the system may contain over 50,000buildings from the National Register of Historic Places, includinginformation about the year the building was constructed, the name of thearchitect, and the significance of the site.

In a preferred embodiment, the additional content information may beaccessed by a user by clicking on a particular listing, icon or link.Referring to FIG. 19, a plurality of screen shots are shown illustratingthe different ways that a user may be able to access the additionalcontent information. In the upper left screen shot, a user may click anicon associated with the results to obtain the narrative informationshown in the bottom right screen shot. Alternatively, the user may clickon the name of the location or other match as shown in the upper rightscreen shot, or may click on an icon located on a map as shown in thelower left screen shot. It is appreciated that if the contentinformation does not fit on one screen, the user may scroll down in aknown way. Links or means to obtain additional content information, orto supply one's own comments, may also be included in the informationoutput.

FIG. 7 illustrates one example of a screen display for the PDA of amatch found by the system. In the preferred embodiment, when a match isfound, the PDA 20 will display various information about the place thatmatch the user information. Examples of the information that may bedisplayed in various data fields or the like include, but are notlimited to, the name of the merchant 150, the hours of operation 152,the street address 154, the current distance 156 from the user, thephone number 158, an image 160 of the merchant, a tagline 162 and anykeywords 164. For example, referring back to the user preferencesinputted for Bill in FIG. 3, information pertaining to a Mexicanrestaurant matching Bill's stated preferences is shown. The restaurant,Café Mexicana, is shown as being 4.6 miles away with meals that rangefrom $8 to $12, Additionally, the keywords section 164, in addition toindicating that it has an outdoor patio, indicates that the merchantalso offers chimichangas. It is also appreciated that the screen displaymay include buttons or information 166 pertaining to ratings, reviews,write-ups from guidebooks or other resources material, seals ofmembership, certificates and the like, or a button 168 that allows theuser to communicate with the merchant, among other things, makeinquiries or reservations. The seals of membership and certificates maybe used to provide a mechanism to allow the users to feel more confidentto visit the merchants that match their preferences. The screen displaymay also include directions to the place and/or a map 170 that shows thecurrent location of the user and the merchant's location. Clicking onthe map may provide the user with specific directions based on theuser's current location as calculated by the GPS system. While thescreen display includes the above-identified information organized in aparticular way, it is appreciated that the system may produce screendisplays having different or additional information that may beorganized in any number of ways and not depart from the scope of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, a flow diagram of the preferred technical steps inone embodiment of the present invention is shown. In operation, a GPSdevice provides position data in the form of NMEA 0183 sentences.Software programs may be used as averaging programs to collect andaverage multiple GPS Latitude/Longitude readings in an effort to producean accurate location, as well as altitude, direction and speed. Suchprograms may also display satellite position, elevation, angle, signallevel and most everything else that is available from the NMEAsentences. The NMEA 0183 sentences are preferably accessed from the GPSdevice and parsed into a useable data structure in steps 200 and 202. Ifit is determined in step 204 that a wireless TCP/IP connection to theInternet or a network associated with the remote server is used, then anopen secured socket is established in step 206. The parsed NMEA datastructure may then be sent to the server in step 208, whereby the user'sprofile may be accessed from the remote server database of profiles instep 210. The server database of profiles may then be queried formerchant locations matching the specified user profile and distancelimits in step 212.

On the other hand, if a suitable TCP/IP connection to the Internet of anetwork associated with the remote server is not available, then theuser's profile is accessed from the local database of the PDA in step214 for merchants matching the specified user profile and distancelimits. Accordingly, the matching in this case will occur based onpreloaded user and merchant profile information contained in the localdatabase of the PDA as opposed to the matching process taking place onthe remote server.

Depending on where the information is stored, either the local databaseor the remote server database will then be queried in step 216 as towhether the merchant is of the type preferred by the user. Inparticular, the database may be queried as to whether any merchant iswithin the specified distance limit of the user profile; and whether anymerchant profile and/or keywords match the user's preference profile. Ifit is determined that the merchant is of the type preferred by the user,and it is determined in step 218 that the matching process is operatingon the remote server, then the results are sent back to the client instep 220. Thereafter, the socket is closed in step 222, and the resultsare displayed on the PDA to the user in step 224. If, on the other hand,the matching process is not running on the server, but instead isrunning locally at the PDA, then the results are displayed to the userat the PDA in step 224.

The system also preferably dynamically updates the output based on thecurrent determined location of the user and the relative distance to theparticular merchants. In other words, as the user moves, the outputchanges to reflect the current distance to the matched location.Referring to the example shown in FIGS. 17a, 17b , the output for thematched hotels has changed based on the movement of the user (e.g., thedistance from the user to the Harborside Inn of Boston changed from 2miles to 0.3 miles). The locations shown in the maps also preferably aredynamically updated as well. Accordingly, as the system determines thelocation of the user, the map may move to reflect the current position,as shown in FIG. 18. Additionally, it is appreciated that the user mayinput a particular location using: a tap-screen marker, a keypad orother input device for entry into data fields as shown in FIG. 21; orother input means to determine what matched locations are around aparticular area that they may travel to. In a preferred embodiment ofthe system, the maps are easily panned and zoomed for providinginformation to the user. Street names and locations names may also bedisplayed by tapping on the street or location as shown in FIG. 20.

If the user indicates any interest in the displayed place in step 226,then additional merchant information such as, but not limited to,narratives and pictures from content providers (e.g., a publisher of aguidebook) and reviews may be transmitted and/or displayed to the user.Additionally, directions to the merchant location from the user'sposition may be provided and/or additional information such as, but notlimited to, hours of operation or sales may be provided. Or, if it is ahistorical site, information related to its history and/or historicalimportance may be displayed. If no interest is shown in step 226, thenthe process restarts in step 200, preferably after a one second threadedpause. It is appreciated that the user and/or merchant may alsopreferably update their preference profiles at any time.

Revenue may be generated in a number of ways from the present invention.Merchants can be allowed to list themselves for free in the system inthe appropriate categories of businesses, products, services,attractions, places and the like. While it is preferred that themerchants may list themselves for free, it is also appreciated that theymay pay for their initial listings as well. In addition to the initiallisting, the merchants may also enhance their listing by purchasing“keywords” that may increase the chances that passing travelers usingthe system will be notified of the location of the merchant because of amatch between the user's preference and the merchant's profile and/orkeywords. Cellular phone service and other wireless service providersmay also be licensed or charged to allow for the system of the presentinvention to be available to their subscribers. Furthermore, publishingcompanies, such as newspapers and phone directory publishers whonormally sell ad space, can receive a commission based on the revenuegenerated from the sale of keywords to operators or managers of theplaces that list their attributes in the form of their profile.Furthermore, content providers can receive compensation for each timetheir information is accessed by a user, or a user may purchase rightsto the content for a particular location and/or period of time. Forexample, if a user is traveling to New York for a week, the user maypurchase information from a guidebook publisher pertaining to New Yorkfor use for that particular week's time. At the end of the week's time,the system will prevent the user's from accessing the information untilan additional license is purchased.

It is also appreciated that chains of business may also be able to offertheir members the benefit of a lower fee. Entities such as governmentalagencies or tourism boards could also be charged for expandedinformation on particular places so as to encourage increased numbers ofvisits to such places by travelers. It is further appreciated that theplaces may remit a percentage of all sales from the matching system tothe operator of the system of the present invention.

It is appreciated that the system may work with both real-time GPSlocation-based systems, and pre-loaded mapping software such asDVD-based “in-dash” navigational systems available on many high-endautomobiles. While GPS positioning is described herein as an example ofone possible method for determining the location of the user, otherforms of locating systems and method such as through triangulation usingthe distance between radio towers should also be considered as beingwithin the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, it isappreciated that the system may work with remote units without GPS andno wireless connection that maintain a live cellular or a data networklink (e.g., a Blackberry).

Referring to FIG. 9, the preferred steps in matching users and merchantsis shown in connection of a stand-alone remote device (i.e., no GPS andno wireless connection). In step 300, the user may input its preferencesinto the device. The merchant database is downloaded as described above,either filtered through preferences at the time of the download orfiltered through preference files downloaded onto the device in step302. During operation, the user indicates in step 304 where it is on themap displayed by a map reader in any of the known ways including, butnot limited to: tapping a touch screen or typing in an address and/orcoordinates. The preference data that has been downloaded and/orinputted onto the stand-alone remote device will then be compared instep 306. If the device determines that there are merchants that matchthe user's preferences in step 308, then the device will display thosemerchants to the user in step 310. If the user indicates it isinterested in the merchant in step 312, the user may then elect toreceive more information about the merchant in step 314. If the userdoes not desire more information, the system may then be restarted ineither step 300 or 304 depending on whether the user elects to updatethe user information in step 316. Similarly, if the merchant does notmatch the user preferences in step 308, the system may be restarted ineither step 300 or 304 depending on whether the user elects to updateits preferences in step 318. It is appreciated that the step ofdownloading the merchant profile database may be repeated as desired toupdate information regarding the merchants. Additionally, it is alsoappreciated that the user may select specific pre-determined informationto be downloaded into the device. For example, if the user is intendingto travel to Baltimore and would like to have information on site-seeingtours in Washington, D.C., as well as restaurants in the Baltimore area,the user may input that information into the system. The system then maycalculate the location of the user either through a GPS system orthrough software that calculates that longitude and latitude coordinatesof the user and merchant that meets the preferences in the destinationarea through known geo-coding technology.

FIG. 10 shows the preferred steps in matching users using a mobiledevice that does not have a constant link or “pulse” to a network.Examples of such devices include, but are not limited to a Blackberry®,Palm® 705i, pager or cell phone (the “on-line” remote device). In orderto start, the user inputs its preferences in step 400. The merchantprofile database may then be accessed or downloaded in step 402. Inorder to assure that the system only matches those merchants that arewithin the prescribed distance limit from the user, the on-line devicepreferably constantly sends its current coordinates to the server instep 404. The databases containing all of the user preferences andmerchant profiles may be either loaded onto the on-line device or may berun on the server in step 406. If the databases are run on the server,the server will thereby reduce its contact or messages with the on-linedevice to sending only hits or matches between the user preferences andthe merchants. In operation, depending on whether the user's preferenceprofile is stored on the server or on the on-line device, the user'spreference profile will be accessed in either step 408 or step 412.Thereafter, the user's preferences will be compared with the informationstored about the merchants to determine matches in step 410. It isappreciated that the matching process may be accomplished using the samealgorithm as in the stand-alone device embodiment. Alternatively, theon-line remote device can carry the user's preferences (without havingto download the location profiles and store them on its local database)and send the data back to the server to allow the matching to take placealong with the GPS location check.

If it is determined that the place is of the type preferred by the user,and it is determined in step 414 that the matching process is operatingon the remote server, then the results are sent back to the client instep 416. Thereafter, the results are displayed on the mobile device tothe user in step 418. If, on the other hand, the matching process is notrunning on the server, but instead is running locally at the wirelessdevice, then the results are displayed to the user at the wirelessdevice in step 418.

If the user indicates any interest in the displayed place in step 420,then additional merchant resource information such as narratives fromguidebooks and/or reviews may be transmitted and/or displayed to theuser in step 422. If no interest is shown in step 420, then the processrestarts in step 400, preferably after a one second threaded pause. Itis appreciated that the user and/or merchant may also preferably updatetheir preference profiles at any time, or if the user elects not toupdate its user profile, it may skip step 400 and proceed to step 404.

Referring now to FIGS. 25 through 27, a plurality of screenshotsillustrating one embodiment of point of information exchange to allow auser to share their own information and insights with others is shown.Through the point of interest exchange, which preferably is incorporatedinto the system in real time for access by others, users may inputinformation on their favorite spots for use in, among other things,journals or to create map log (“plugs”). Accordingly, a user may capturetheir special experiences and memories as they travel for their own useor for sharing with others. In the latter case, the information may bemade available for others so that it may be accessible as an additionalinformation resource when the others come within their selectedgeographic distance to the particular site. In operation, the usersenter a particular spot on the device using a stylus, keypad or otherknown means. The system then allows the user to enter a narrative of thelocation and/or upload photographs regarding the site. For example,referring again to the screen shots of FIGS. 25 to 27, an example of auser-created spot is shown in connection with the Golden Gate Bridge.The user first marks a spot on the map and labels it “Great View of GGBridge”. The user then entered a narrative describing the spot anduploaded a photograph showing the view to create a spot as shown in FIG.27. The spot may thereafter be shared with others so that they maybenefit from the insights and experience of prior users.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 through 16, another embodiment of the presentinvention is shown. In particular, it is appreciated that the system mayalso permit a user to browse or search the content information stored inand/or available through the system. For example, as shown in FIG. 11,the system may have available in electronic format, the content from atravel guide for Chicago. It is appreciated that the information may bebrowsed in any of the known ways including, but not limited to, drilldown menus or categorical menus. Based upon the user's determinedlocation, the system may then provide results based upon the selectedfields within a certain geographic distance. For example, FIG. 12 showshotels in Chicago that are within a few miles from the user's location.Each of the listings may also include a button, link or other means toaccess additional information about the particular place or thing asshown in FIGS. 13 and 14, which provide a narrative description and aphotograph of a cable car ride in San Francisco. It is appreciated that,in addition to text and photographs, the contents may also includehypertext links to allow for additional information and resources to beaccessed.

Referring now to FIGS. 15 and 16, screen shots illustrating the system'sability to link the content information to its mapping functions areshown. For example, upon obtaining a desired list of results, the usermay click or otherwise select to view a map showing the location of oneor more results. It is appreciated that the link to the mapping featuresof the system may be associated with, among other things, the list ofresults and/or the narrative output, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16,respectively. Based on the determined location of the user, the systemalso preferably lists the distance from the user to the persons, placesor things, wherein the system preferably dynamically updates thedistance according to the user's movement.

Referring now to FIG. 28, a flow diagram of the steps involved inproducing digital works with embedded location information for oneembodiment of the present invention is shown. In operation, contentproviders such as publishers are given a compiler program that generatesdigital works (e.g., guides in digital format) in step 500.Alternatively, the content providers may supply data to the systemoperator or third party to compile. As the data is compiled in step 502,the compiler places editorial or literary information (e.g., narration,description, photos or drawings) into a mark-up language linking, amongother things, text, pictures, coordinates, audio and/or video. Wherephysical addresses are indicated, the coordinates are obtained andassociated with the related editorial or literary information in step504. While the coordinates may be obtained in any of the known ways, inone embodiment, a call may be made to a geocoding server to obtain thecoordinates. The compiler then produces a digital file in step 506 thatcan be read by the mobile device. Once the digital file is created andaccessible by the mobile device, the user's location is determined instep 508 (e.g., by a GPS signal or indicating a location on a map bytapping or other means). Among other things, the output on the mobiledevice preferably includes the calculated distance between the user'slocation and the particular items displayed on the mobile device as theuser accesses the material (e.g., a travel guide) on the mobile device.As the calculated distance is based on the user's location and theembedded location information on the items, the distance may bedynamically updated in step 510 as the user moves. It is appreciatedthat the output of the digital works on the mobile device is preferablybrowsable to allow book-style page turning or combing.

Referring to FIG. 29, one embodiment of the steps in matching thepreferences of a user with those of media content concerning people,places and things is shown. It is appreciated that the media content mayinclude, but is not limited to: audio and/or video files; radio reports;narratives or other publications about persons, places or things from apublisher or other user; reviews; and photographs. After the user entersits preferences and profiles in step 600 and the profile of the mediacontent is inputted in step 602, the GPS receiver 22 calculates theuser's current position in step 604. The profile of the media contentmay include, among other things, attributes of the persons, places andthings described in the media content, as well as the type of mediacontent.

In operation, the remote server 23 is queried as to the profiles of themedia content (e.g., the location of any people, places or thingsdescribed in the media content) in step 606, while the local database 21is queried with respect to the stated preferences of the user in steps608. The software then compares the coordinates of the current locationof the user, the preferences of the user and the profiles of the mediacontent to determine if there is a match in step 610. While variousmethods may be used, the “Great Circle” equation is one example of amethod for determining the distance between the place associated withthe media content and the user, based on the distance between two pointson a sphere. If any media content matches the preferences of the user instep 612, and the location of the people, places and/or things coveredin the media content is within the distance range selected by the user,then the user is notified of the media content in step 614. Otherwisethe user may elect to update its user preference profile in step 616,wherein the process would be repeating starting in step 600. Otherwise,the system will continue to monitor the user location in step 604 andcontinue the matching process.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 30, the system may rank the matches instep 613. Particularly, the system may identify a level of interest bythe user, either from the user's direct inputted preferences or frominformation gleaned from the user's prior usage history. For example, auser may indicate a preference for certain sources or types of mediaover other that match a particular interest. The preferences may relateto, among other things: a categorical attribute such as a song, album,artist, publisher; a particular publisher, author or person otherwiseidentified with the media; or the format of the media such as a lecture,narrated text, radio discussion, or documentary. For example, if a userhas a preference for Rock and Roll, the user may indicate that radiostations with a Rock and Roll format would have priority over a sermonor other lecture on Rock and Roll.

In operation, the system locates media content that is labeled or taggedwith one or more interests (e.g., persons, places or things) that matchthe user's preferences. The system would then prioritize the mediacontent that matches the user's preference based on the relativeranking. Higher rated matches may be indicated in any number of waysincluding, but not limited to: listing first or more predominantly thanother listings; through a special notification; or by an immediateaction. One form of immediate action would have the system facilitatethe automatic playing of the highest rated matching media content instep 615. Referring back to FIG. 30, if the media content is notautomatically played, notification of the matched media content will beprovided to the user in step 614.

If several media content are determined to have equal ranking throughthe initial prioritization process, the system may further permitfurther prioritization through other factors such as, but not limitedto, proximity to the user's location, type of media or the length of themedia content. These factors may be inputted or selected by the user ifdesired.

Referring again to step 614, notification of the media content mayinclude information pertaining to, among other things, the type of mediacontent, the title of the media content, the author and/or producer ofthe media content, information on any persons, places or thingsdescribed in the media content. If the user indicated he or she isinterested in finding out more information about the person, place orthing described in the media content in step 618, the user may requestmore information, if desired, in step 620. The user may then elect toupdate its user preference profile in steps 622, wherein the processwill be repeated starting in step 600. It is appreciated that the mediacontent profile may also be updated at any time. Otherwise, the processrestarts in step 604.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effectedwithout departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the presentinvention, but it is understood that this application is limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

1.-22. (canceled)
 23. An electronic processor-implemented method formatching a user of a mobile device with information, comprising:facilitating input to the mobile device of a user preference, includinga geographic area limitation; determining a location of the mobiledevice; obtaining, for a plurality of objects, respective sets ofattributes and locations of the objects, the obtaining being performedat the mobile device; determining, by the mobile device, a matchingobject, of the plurality of objects, that matches the user based on atleast: (a) the set of attributes satisfying the user preference; and (b)a distance between the location of the mobile device and the objectbeing within the geographic area limitation; and displaying on a displayof the mobile device, in response to a positive outcome of thedetermining, information about the matching object; wherein the matchingobject is a person, place and/or thing.
 24. The method of claim 23,further comprising receiving at the mobile device one or more updates tothe plurality of objects, including respective sets of attributes andlocations of the objects.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the one ormore updates include at least one item selected from the groupconsisting of: adding at least one object, including its associated setof attributes and locations, to the plurality of objects; removing atleast one object, including its associated set of attributes andlocations, from the plurality of objects; and changing at least one ofthe respective sets of attributes and locations.
 26. The method of claim23, further comprising serially repeating the determining, wherein a newmatching object is identified as the mobile device is moved relative tothe plurality of objects.
 27. The method of claim 23, wherein thedetermining comprises identifying a plurality of matching objects andthe displaying further comprises displaying information about theplurality of matching objects.
 28. The method of claim 23, furthercomprising: sending, from the wireless mobile device, a request forfurther information about the matching object; and receiving, at themobile device, further information about the matching object.
 29. Amobile device comprising: an input device configured to enable a user ofthe mobile device to input a user preference, including a geographicarea limitation; a location-determining device configured to determine alocation of the mobile device; a storage device configured to store setsof attributes of a plurality of objects and their respective locations;a processor unit configured to determine a matching object, of theplurality of objects, that matches the user of the mobile device basedon at least: (a) the set of attributes satisfying the user preference;and (b) a distance between the location of the mobile device and theobject being within the geographic area limitation; and a displayconfigured to display, in response to determining a matching object,information about the matching object; wherein the matching object is aperson, place and/or thing.
 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein theprocessor unit is further configured to determine a plurality ofmatching objects, and wherein is further configured to displayinformation about the plurality of matching objects.
 31. The apparatusof claim 29, further comprising: a wireless transmitter configured tosend a request for further information about the matching object; and awireless receiver configured to receive further information about thematching object.
 32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein thelocation-determining device comprises a satellite-basedlocation-determining device.
 33. The apparatus of claim 29, furthercomprising a wireless receiver configured to receive one or more updatesto the plurality of objects, including respective sets of attributes andlocations of the objects.
 34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the oneor more updates include at least one item selected from the groupconsisting of: adding at least one object, including its associated setof attributes and location, to the plurality of objects; removing atleast one object, including its associated set of attributes andlocation, from the plurality of objects; and changing at least one ofthe respective sets of attributes and locations.
 35. The apparatus ofclaim 29, wherein the processor unit is further configured to seriallyrepeat determining of the matching object, wherein a new matching objectis identified as the mobile device is moved relative to the plurality ofobjects.
 36. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containingcomputer code configured for execution on electronic processing hardwarefor matching a user of a mobile device with information, comprising:code for facilitating input to the mobile device of a user preference,including a geographic area limitation; code for determining a locationof the mobile device; code for obtaining, for a plurality of objects,respective sets of attributes and locations of the objects, theobtaining being performed at the mobile device; code for determining, bythe mobile device, a matching object, of the plurality of objects, thatmatches the user based on at least: (a) the set of attributes satisfyingthe user preference; and (b) a distance between the location of themobile device and the object being within the geographic arealimitation; and code for displaying on a display of the mobile device,in response to a positive outcome of the determining, information aboutthe matching object; wherein the matching object is a person, placeand/or thing.
 37. The medium of claim 36, further comprising code forreceiving at the mobile device one or more updates to the plurality ofobjects, including respective sets of attributes and locations of theobjects.
 38. The medium of claim 37, wherein the one or more updatesinclude at least one item selected from the group consisting of: addingat least one object, including its associated set of attributes andlocations, to the plurality of objects; removing at least one object,including its associated set of attributes and locations, from theplurality of objects; and changing at least one of the respective setsof attributes and locations.
 39. The medium of claim 36, furthercomprising code for serially repeating the determining, wherein a newmatching object is identified as the mobile device is moved relative tothe plurality of objects.
 40. The medium of claim 36, wherein the codefor determining comprises code for identifying a plurality of matchingobjects, and wherein the code for displaying comprises code fordisplaying information about the plurality of matching objects.
 41. Themethod of claim 36, further comprising: code for sending, from thewireless mobile device, a request for further information about thematching object; and code for receiving, at the mobile device, furtherinformation about the matching object.